Criminal Justice
Marine Arrested in Pregnant Colleague’s Murder Has One Request: ‘Proof’
Posted Apr 11, 2008, 08:45 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A Marine arrested in Mexico and charged with killing a pregnant colleague uttered one word when Associated Press asked if he had anything to say: "Proof."
Cpl. Cesar Laurean was arrested on Thursday for the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, whose burned remains were found buried in the back yard of his home. She had accused him of rape.
Police said Laurean slept in fields and survived by eating fruit while on the lam for three months.
When the AP reporter asked Laurean what he would do next, he said, "Do I have a choice? ... I don't know." Laurean spoke briefly to AP while he was at the Michoacan state Attorney General's office.
North Carolina prosecutors are seeking Laurean's extradition and have agreed they will not seek the death penalty to win the cooperation of Mexican authorities, WLKY.com reports.
Detectives say Laurean had left a note for his wife in which he said Lauterbach committed suicide but he buried her remains. He reportedly told a Mexican reporter “I loved her” when asked if he killed Lauterbach.